1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to connectors or couplings for joining two or more floating structures into assembled relationship with respect to one another and particularly to connectors or couplings for selectively joining two or more marine vessels or structures such as barges, pontoons, dredges and the like in securely locked and positively positioned relationship with one another so that the joined structures can be effectively operated and controlled as a single vessel or unit and wherein the couplings are easily and quickly connected utilizing connector pins and wedges which are selectively mounted within vertically spaced coupler housings or boxes which are installed within each of the vessels.
2. History of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there have been a number of structures designed and developed to facilitate the joining of two or more vessels to form a single multi-hull unit which can be operated and controlled as a single body. The connection of floating water borne vessels is particularly advantageous when dealing with barges which may be joined with one another so as to be simltaneously moved from point to point by a single power source. In addition to the foregoing, various construction barges, dredges, floating pontoons and the like are also frequently assembled in joined relationship in order to form a unified working body or structural element.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,328,693 to Taylor, a design for a marine vessel is disclosed which includes a pair of connectable hull sections which are retained in assembled relationship by a coupling assembly. The coupling assembly includes an elongated coupling member which extends into sockets provided in each hull section of the vessel and which is retained in place by elongated wedge bars which extend through the deck, coupling member and bottom of the hull sections. Such a coupling structure requires that the vessel sections be abutted against one another and thereby creates a situation wherein such hull sections may be damaged or adversely worn as such sections are shifted with respect to one another due to normal wave action or other stresses imparted to the vessel.
In addition to the foregoing, the connecting assembly of Taylor utilizes a single generally centrally located connector pin member which necessarily must be extremely large and therefore very bulky and difficult to install. Therefore, the sectionalized structure is one which is not easily connected or disconnected by crew members. Further, the connecting assembly is retained in position by wedge bars which extend upwardly from the bottom of the hulls and through the decks. The wedge bars not only create an obstruction on the deck of the vessel but are also formed in such a manner that installation thereof must be from the bottom of the hull thereby making it very impractical to assemble and disassemble adjacent hull sections into associated relationship with respect to one another.
A more current float connection assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721 to Robishaw. In the Robishaw structure, a first floating section is provided with a pair of outwardly extending locking pin members which are selectively aligned with sockets or connector housings mounted within an adjacent floating section. The connection between the sections is accomplished by an elongated locking assembly which is insertable vertically downwardly through the connector housings or sockets in one of the floating sections with each locking assembly being retained in a locked position with respect to the connector pins by a spring bar which extends substantially along the vertical length of the locking assembly. This structure requires that various floating sections or vessels be modified to include the connector pins with other floating sections or vessels modified to include sockets. In this manner, it is not possible to selectively connect adjacent floating sections from any side as each section must be approached so that the connector pin members are cooperatively received within the sockets of an adjacent floating section. In addition, the connection between the locking assembly and the connector pins is accomplished by utilizing an elongated locking assembly which must be guided vertically into engagement with the lower connector pin by an elongated track or connection assembly. As the component parts of the track or connector assembly will be exposed to water, over a period of time, the sliding engagement of the coupling parts will cause such parts to bind with one another thereby making the connection of the assembly more difficult. Also, the spring members which are utilized to urge the locking assembly into engagement with the locking pins may become weaker because of repeated usage thereby making the locking assembly less effective.
Some other examples of the prior art include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,057,315 to Robishaw, 4,060,048 to Breheret et al. and 4,066,030 to Milone.